Apr 23, 2020 2 min read

A grassroots organization – with grassroots in its name – is pushing the state Senate to act on two dairy farm bills the House passed overwhelmingly in December.

Grassroots PA Dairy Advisory Committee said in a news release that it sent a letter April 7 to Joseph Scarnati, president pro tempore of the Senate, requesting not only action on these bills, but new leadership on the Senate’s Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee.

The ag committee is made up of 11 members, seven Republicans and four Democrats, including chair Elder Vogel, R-Beaver, Butler, Lawrence counties, and minority chair Judith Schwank, D-Berks.

Rep. John Lawrence, R-Lancaster, Chester counties introduced both bills about a year ago, according to the release.

He said H.B. 1223, which passed by a 194-2 House vote, would establish Keystone Opportunity Dairy Zones to enable expanded dairy processing facilities in the state to increase markets for milk from Pennsylvania farms. Applicants would have to use private capital, add jobs and use primarily milk from Pennsylvania farms.

H.B. 1224 passed 196-0. Lawrence said it would allow the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board to coordinate collection and distribution of state-mandated milk premiums with the Department of Revenue, which would ensure that the premiums go to dairy farmers.

Representatives of two Washington dairy farms declined to comment on the legislation Wednesday morning, saying they knew too little about the bills.

The letter to Scarnati said in part: “With the COVID-19 pandemic, displacement and dumping of local Pennsylvania milk and a 35% milk income loss across our farms in one month and expected to continue for the next three, at least, you have an opportunity to get these bills out of committee and onto the floor.

“The Pennsylvania dairy industry is at risk to losing it all – given our small and numerous herd size – the heart of rural PA. Rural Pennsylvanians are counting on this industry to survive COVID-19. Now is your time to act.”